Charlotte: Flashpoint, December 14, 2014

What have we learned in the last decade? What have I learned? Am I synched with this city I love so well? After all, I write and claim the phrase, “ I am a part of Charlotte and Charlotte is a part of me.” What have I learned? The Great Recession brought the greater lull as businesses came to a standstill, as real estate almost stopped. Lives stopped, jobs stopped, money stopped to some not to all. There are always cats at the coliseum. We, I, am looking back, over my shoulder and mostly now looking forward. Besides the Great Recession I experienced the siege of cancer with all the trappings of chemo therapy, radiation and surgery and damage control to mitigate the side effects. I stopped. “I am a part of Charlotte and Charlotte is a part of me.” I changed, we change.
Once the dust began to clear, once the money started loosening up, once the great tides of foreclosure stated to wane, once the adjustment so many of us, yes, “Us”, faced and held on and stretched to find a way or slide back, once we got our footing, once the looting had faded, not gone, but stepped back to reshape itself, we begin again. I begin again. We have changed. The wave forward is coming like a tsunami to our city. And in every direction: to the east in Concord-Kannapolis, to the south in Fort Mill and Rock Hill, to the west at both the lake and the airport and to the north, the lake, the townships, the techno highway to server farms from all over the world, even China, stretch up Lincolnton way.
And more are coming. More are coming because the green pastures that stretch within our country and around our county are indeed green and the glint of gold shoots through the ground once again and gold is on everyone’s mind. The corporations come from other countries, other hubs, other lands bringing their people for jobs and money for development of farms that once stood idle, manufacturing complexes that shut down keeping only their ghosts.
But it is inside the city that I feel the wrenching of growth as old homes are torn down, old buildings are rendered dust, the streets change, parks spring up, all whispering, “Come to Charlotte, bring your families, life is good, come to Charlotte.” All of this could be good, but once again we are wiping out our past laying glory to the future as though the future will be perfect and never disappoint us. The future glimmers in our mind of prosperity, children playing on green lawns, a center city where folks play and work and thrive. But do we have to tear down what nurtured our hearts; do we have to demolish that which gave us a sense of place, landmarks for knowing where home is?
  As I, too, reboot, survey the playing field, assess the players, observe the ebb and flow, I feel the undertow. And I see the moments where we change from one revolution to the next.

I Could Not Sleep Last Night

July 24, 2014

I could not sleep last night.
The word is "stucco".

Sometimes days just roll out of the last  minutes of midnight and head towards their own unique beginning for each one of us.
Yesterday ended with “stucco” and today’s, just shortly after midnight, the second between the last second of the passing day and the arrival of the new, the word ‘stucco’ flashed in neon again and again.

Not so weird, I am a real estate broker and have been for almost thirty years now. Some days the word starts later and could be a couplet, “loan approval” or  lone words, “counter”, “closing”, “due diligence”. Well, you get my drift. Words symbolizing, punctuating the day and sometimes days depending on the transaction.

The last couple of days, one word has been and is still, “Stucco”.There is more to stucco than meets the eye and that is the source of the mystery, unraveling what lay beneath or is growing on. Everything about stucco is important. But then all of the details in real estate and probably all businesses are important. I take mine personally. I do not sleep.

Further, this case of stucco has me going back to the house, with permission of course, taking pictures of anything that feels odd, shouldn’t be there. I carefully parse every corner and walk up very close to examine the substance if any is coming from a small crack.

So I thought it might be a good idea to write about quirky or very simple pieces of a real estate experiences. The world imparts, and it seems everyone portends  to be an expert when it comes to the how-to’s, the numbers, the surface stuff, maybe it is the small stuff that drives the detective in me after the bold, big strokes are catalogued.

But you see it is the small stuff I sweat. Because  the pieces are the sum of the whole.

What do you think?

April 20, 2014

 

Morning-Easter Sunday

 Finally, the sky is clear, the rain soaked clouds  poured their wealth into an already saturated earth here in the Carolinas. There is a crisp coolness in the air, a difference between sharp cold and a light coolness. Like breathe and slow breathing. The gentle coolness soothes my radiated nostrils and throat. The sharp cold spiraled though my nose and throat down into my neck and shoulder where there is less blood, less tissue, less.
I walk to the garden, my garden, in the back. There is work to be done after days of rain. I can almost hear, no, I do hear the roots pushing down and climbing up to the surface. Some of the plants have nudged through and burst into the air, swimmers in the pools of dirt reaching for the sun.
There is work to be done.

But first, many of my technology tools need attention, an external drive I mistakenly deleted but fortunately had backed up (because I back up everything) needs to be restored. Another external drive  freshly packed with a mirror image now runs at midnight every day because of a rash of interlopers, the virus makers, an email account where the server keeps failing and asks to be refreshed , a new smart phone that has more features, emphasis on more, and I admittedly pack on the Apps, and  a new platform in our real estate multiple listing service. There are classes for the tools, practice in my off time, developing social networking tools, rebuilding websites and one is not publishing, my favorite.
I am a voracious reader. The real estate market is volatile, either up or down and especially in play.
And we humans are curious and competitive, many of us, we like learning, I do. I like knowing and seeing and learning. I do have a fondness for the people I treasure. I want to hear about them, from them. Their pictures are often delightful. There is much to see and hear and feel and love and miss.
There is simply not enough time. For me there is not enough time.

More becomes more. Technology creates an abundance quickly, the big news and the incidental and we, I, lap it up.
More is more.

I have to stop. I want to stop before we crash, before I crash or get off.

I try to grasp a sense of direction. There are ultimate possibilities in every field. The underlying beat feels familiar. I keep listening for simplicity especially in my own life, in my own heart.

Today is the very day to think about new beginnings and life itself.

 

Immersion

March 25, 2014

 

Immersion.

Coming up for air. Several weeks ago I decided to immerse myself in the world of social media to see what I can see, learn what I can learn and apply what I think is important to my own world of blogs and podcasts and other portals like Twitter and Instagram, Facebook and Linked In. The journey consists of classes at Central Piedmont Community College and workshops at Queens University and even more classes at Superior School of Real Estate.
The word I hear most often is “Overwhelmed”.
Another descriptive word might be “Cumulative”.
And yet another and another , “saturation” and even “super saturation”.

Coming out of The Great Recession and even before, our government spotlighted the recovery efforts on jobs, construction, and real estate. And those who were looking and listening for a star to hitch their wagon to globbed on to real estate. New platforms had been created to deliver more information to a culture already fascinated and enthralled with real estate, to a culture with its short memory, a veritable smorgasbord of information and pictures and details garnished from public records as well as the acquisition of the local Multiple Listing Services, the gold data. No matter that the information could sometimes be incorrect, and those platforms dismiss any responsibility, while charging the same agents who provided the data used for listings a premium. There are of course free limited spaces for the agents and brokers. Those with cash get better position and more space. So I would pay for space while my work in gathering and verifying information comes free.
How serious is this? One executive with the Realtor Association has already jumped ship and gone with one of the larger data providers. It is a squeamish situation. I try to rationalize it. This is the age of Big Data. The information age. As a Broker I verify everything two maybe three times. And sometimes even with that I could be wrong. So what is the draw for the general public?
And before you think you see a smoking gun, I think there are also some good points. I like it that buyers and sellers can busy themselves exploring and learning and checking. They are good team mates, good and willing partners in the process.
And on these sites, the introduction of For Sale by Owners. I participated in this recently with a seller who had a condo in Charlotte, lives in New York and posted his property on one the large platforms, my buyer saw it at 3:36 a.m. called me and within 24 hours we had a contract and the seller paid the full commission. It was a more difficult transaction because the seller had no agent, operated by his rules and not the industry guidelines. But it happened.
So I have concern. I have to be a better teacher for my clients.
Long term, I also have concern, for these platforms will own that information from our MLS and the pictures as well. These platforms are in the information business. Read Big Data.
There is no crystal ball on my desk, but my intuition says, “Caution”. Over and over.

More as I rebuild our websites, and listen to you. Got questions? Let me hear them. Thanks.

 

The wearing of the green...seems like a good day to begin a blog...spring is truly in the air here in Charlotte, NC...the pear trees are almost in full bloom running almost the whole length of Wendover Road...and the town itself is blooming. In many ways. Okay, especially in real estate. Charlotte used to be a sleepy Southern town. We had Mom and Pop shops, small towns as our neighbors. Cows and horses nearby. Charlotte was a peaceful town with a couple of good restaurants, a couple of movie theatres, a nearby river...and a vibrant energy. That was in the 50's...and times have changed. I sometimes smile when I tell the folks who are relocating that everything they are coming here for...is really gone. And Charlotte is still vibrant and good and fun and growing like all get out! And that is what I love and that is what I will be writing about...real estate from my point of view. Charlotte, NC has been my home for well over 60 years and real estate has been my life support for almost 30 years. I specialize in Condominiums. Condo CanDo, our registered servicemark along with The Real Estate Lady, also registered back in the late 80's...both saved my neck as a new agent in a highly competitive market. Now, I blend technology with intuition and experience with listening...observing the market for both buyers and sellers. I have three websites built over the last 15 years. They are in the throes of being updated...the research has changed, the stats have changed, and our editor changed. And I am one of the few remaining "Mom" shops...I open doors for folks, pour them a cup of coffee or green tea...sit on the floor and play with the children...and sometimes I give advice like, "Now is not the time to sell"... or "Wait a while". Let the green begin...and thanks for tuning in. The Real Estate Lady/ Condo CanDo Lynnsy Logue

February  3, 2014

On Becoming Charlotte

Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English); 'now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!' (for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so far off). From Lewis Carroll’s Alice Adventure’s in Wonderland.

Well there it is. An apt description of how I feel/think this morning reading the paper as I do while I crunch on my bowl filled with cereal and berries.

“Why is that?”, you might ask.

Being visual, the shapes and sizes and relationships of words and paragraphs tell their stories as well as the words and paragraphs. Here is an example:

Three headlines for three columns stacked on one page in The Charlotte Observer and a side bar. In a nutshell:

1.The first, “Landlord lender moves into area. Blackstone Group subsidiary sees upside in Charlotte market by Andrew Dunn.
The company provides loans to landlords and rental-home owners looking to buy between five and 1,000 more houses to rent out. It’s Blackstone’s latest bet on the single –family home rental market. Another subsidiary, Invitation Homes, buys homes to rent out for itself.
 Some real estate experts have said investment firms artificially drive up home prices, forcing mom-and-pop buyers out of the market. Experts also worry what will happen to the local real estate market when the firms look to sell these homes.
2.More luxury en route to Park Road by Eric Frazier
The Stratford Apartments across Park Road from the Park Selwyn Terrace Shopping Center are about to be bull-dozed to make way for a 273-unit luxury apartment complex.
What struck me on this project as residents were given a 30 day notice is this complex has been home to a number of Seniors who could walk to shopping.
You see, I wonder where the Seniors will go.
3.The last story, Yellen says Fed monitoring data for signs of weakening economy by Martin Crutsinger
The quotes from Yellen strike a cord with me. She refers to the job market and interest rates.
For me as well, they go hand in hand. Employment is a key watch for me.
Finally, the side bar. In the last few days in The Charlotte Observer, there are stories about “the paper”.

For well over a decade, I worked at “the paper”. The place and the people were a cornerstone of who I grew to be. I worked for both The Charlotte News and The Charlotte Observer. The heading on the side bar on this page today reads: Do-it-yourself classified ads. The Classified Ad department back then had one of the largest staffs including the phone room where operators took ads.

What we pay attention to changes as it should. But this morning, I saw the whole department still at work, familiar faces and voices as I leave to make my rounds.

February 25, 2014

The Crucible of Real Estate

It is early, the shadow time between dawn and morning light. Most of the night and early morning I worked on my new project, repackaging myself after a long and tedious illness. My business is real estate for almost thirty years. Taking a modified break meant I read almost all of my regular periodicals.
I kept up without digging deep. These days, I wear my miner’s cap. I am looking for answers, for logic, for ways to say to my people, “Let’s have a plan, be careful with decisions, and do the math”.

The Great Recession brought many to their knees. There was the massive debt, the tidal waves of disappearing assets, fingers pointed, shadows in the back room and then our new understanding of foreclosure and short sale. Classes were taught about foreclosure and short sales. Agents and brokers scrambled in a play of musical chairs. Lives were broken. A new generation began the climb, rung by rung, with debt strapped to their backs as though it were a fad. We grew used to the language of The Great Recession. But it is over. We move on.

There is a new awareness. The government knows the climb out of the recession is by the boots of real estate, construction of homes and commercial buildings. The trappings continue with mortgages and the swift talk of more stringent requirements for the buyer and on the other hand, the confessions of financial institutions that they made mistakes and they pay a fine to the government. The small hands of those who wound up on the streets are empty.

The jargon expands. We are roiled up in Big Data. We are dancing the dance with numbers and stats and charts and words we are just hearing for the first time. The play unfolds. It is mesmerizing because the set and the stage itself is all digital. The dialogue, the discussion, the reporting, the way forward is an unrelenting cacophony, the smoke screen to the past.

How do I guide and advise, be a strong advocate, a patient shepherd to my folks who are buying and selling a home? Hopefully, by listening.

February 17, 2014 Can spring be far?

February 17, 2014  6:55 a.m.Can spring be far?

Soon it will be the time for the wearing of the green...seems like a good day to begin a blog...spring is truly in the air here in Charlotte, NC...the pear trees are almost in full bloom running almost the whole length of Wendover Road...and the town itself is blooming. In many ways. Okay, especially in real estate. Charlotte used to be a sleepy Southern town. We had Mom and Pop shops, small towns as our neighbors. Cows and horses nearby. Charlotte was a peaceful town with a couple of good restaurants, a couple of movie theatres, a nearby river...and a vibrant energy. That was in the 50's...and times have changed. I sometimes smile when I tell the folks who are relocating that everything they are coming here for...is really gone. And Charlotte is still vibrant and good and fun and growing like all get out! And that is what I love and that is what I will be writing about...real estate from my point of view. Charlotte, NC has been my home for well over 50 years and real estate has been my life support for almost 30 years. I specialize in Condominiums. Condo CanDo, our registered servicemark along with The Real Estate Lady, also registered back in the late 80's...both saved my neck as a new agent in a highly competitive market. Now, I blend technology with intuition and experience with listening...observing the market for both buyers and sellers. I have three websites built over the last seventeen years. They are in the throes of being updated...the research has changed, the stats have changed, and our editor will change as we migrate to a new one. And I am one of the few remaining "Mom" shops...I open doors for folks, pour them a cup of coffee or green tea...sit on the floor and play with the children...and sometimes I give advice like, "Now is not the time to sell"... or "Wait a while". Let the green begin...and thanks for tuning in. The Real Estate Lady/ CondoCanDo. Welcome Home! Lynnsy Logue

There is an old saying,"Beginnings are difficult"...

There is an old saying,"Beginnings are difficult"...

January 2, 2014 at 10:26pm

We begin a new year with a new promise and a new hope. The last year is behind us with all the numbers of foreclosures and short sales, with an endless stream of unemployment and the miracle of the ups and downs of Wall St.. We begin to build anew promising ourselves we will remember how devastating the last several years have been. How many lives were ruined by greed or folly or sheer mistake by our own hands or the squeeze game played by the shadows we know skirt from office to tower, from bank to holding company. And we hope we have learned, we pray that we remember as the economy starts to churn, the hammers start to build, the land is swallowed up by bigger houses on smaller lots and no one is watching.The business of real estate is changing so fast that the image of real people doing the business of buying and selling will fade. The relationships will change because the economists, the giants of business know full well the government and the economy churns on the smell of earth turning, homes rising, apartments squandering our horizon, the lure of a home, a picket fence, a dog and a swingset make us feel comfortable-again. Meanwhile the banks are paying fines for their back room bargaining. But wait, there is more to be seen. It is not just the land and the hammers and the roofs and the pocket parks, it is the real estate listings themselves. Those who glean the coins from the eyes of the dying, make that the homeless, have seized upon the opportunities to gobble up the listings and tout the details only "big data" can generate so we all think that we all know everything we need to know.
It is what we do not know, as before, it is what we do not see, it is the short memory and the glaze of gold that will allow a repeat performance.I am back at my post. Reading everything I can get my hands on. Wanting to write and just write out loud what I see, what I hear, what I think might be coming. I hesitate because I am caught in the revolving door. I want to be right. Wait. I wanted to be right before but I was wrong. The sky was falling. I want to be clairyvoyant, I want to protect you because you do not know. This is not your business. This is smoke and mirrors.
So I decided that I will try. If I am wrong, I am wrong and it does not matter that it is right or not. What matters is that I do as I feel, that I speak up, that I discuss, that I care enough not to police my tongue.
Let the ego fly.
I will speak.
Lynnsy Logue,


The Real Estate Lady. SM